Point with a sharpened pencil to each of the large black letters listed across the top of the page: L l, P p, and N n. Ask your student to say each letter’s sound: l says |l|; p says |p| (not |pŭh|); n says |n| (not |nŭh|).

Now, point to the first word in Roman numeral I and have your student read the word out loud: lab. Discuss the meaning of the word lab. (A lab is a room used for doing science experiments.) “Nate did the experiment in the science lab.” Read, discuss the meaning of, and spell the next word: Al. “Do you know my neighbor, Al?” Remind your student that we always read the letters of a word from LEFT to RIGHT. When your student can confidently read and spell these two words, note this on the completion chart with a 100. For RTI requirements, use the Progress Monitoring Table.

Use your judgment about whether or not to insist on capitalization of the name Al. Capitalization will need to be addressed at some point. If you think this is the time to mention that people’s names and other proper nouns start with a capital letter, do so. The same exercise of judgment is called for regarding the importance of penmanship.

Have your student read, discuss the meaning of, and spell all of the words in rows II and III. As each set of words is correctly completed, record this on his completion chart.

II    PRACTICE pat, pal, map, tap, and lap. “Charla will pat the puppy.” “I have a pal named Dustin.” Ask your student whom he considers to be his friend or pal. “The map will guide Maegan home.” “Austin will tap you on the shoulder when it is your turn.” Possibly, show meaning through action. You might gently tap the table. Words with multiple meanings, like lap, will be understood in context. “T. J. decided to run one lap before baseball practice.”
“The baby sat in her mother’s lap.” “The dog will lap water noisily.” The near similarity of the spelling of lab and lap underscores the importance of paying attention to each letter in a word.

III   PRACTICE nap, pan, ban, man, and tan. “Our dog, Doxy, took a nap.” “Shelleyn will boil eggs in a pan.” “We will ban Caleb from the room until we finish decorating for his surprise party.” “Asher is growing into a fine man.” “Lexi and Benny rode to the beach for a tan in a tan-colored van.”

Be sure your student can read and spell all of the words confidently and without hesitation before beginning the next list or lesson. Discuss the meaning of the words.

IV   REVIEW pan, bat, lap, pat, and mat.

V     REVIEW ban, map, an, nap, and tan.

VI   REVIEW am, lab, man, tap, and pal.

Fill in your student’s chart and allow him to place a sticker in the space provided.

Importance of Pointing

Point to the left side (not the top, bottom, or right) of each word with a sharpened pencil to help your student focus on the word. Your pointing helps him develop the habit of moving his eyes from left to right and through a word to the last letter. Pencil pointing gives effective control of the lesson and supports comprehension.